Rise of the Planet of the Apes ended with humanity in dire straits, and based on the first trailer for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes things haven’t improved much for our kind since then. The film picks up about eight years later, when the struggle against the virus and the infighting among the humans have destroyed civilization as we know it.

But the few humans who are left are eager to pick up the pieces and put themselves back together, and it seems that starts with a conversation with the apes, led by Caesar (Andy Serkis). Think it’s going to go well? Watch the first trailer after the jump and make your guesses.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, but it looks downright upbeat compared to the grim Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The trailer withholds the biggest action sequences for now, focusing instead on the grim state of affairs for humankind.

Meanwhile, the apes seem to be ascendant. They don’t look particularly happy, but they do look strong and angry, and based on Jason Clarke‘s bellowing it appears that they have the power in this situation. I just hope there’s more to the apes than just wrathfulness, since one of the highlights of the last film was the way it made us see Caesar as a three-dimensional being. For now, though, they make a hell of an impression.

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.